Unknown Soldiers
by SergeantJohnston
Summary: Full Summary inside. Prequel to my previous story Won't Back Down. Just one of the million remakes I seem to be doing lately.
1. Chapter 1: A New Melody

**Full Summary: (Prequel to Won't Back Down) **Melody Johnston lived a long hard life with her father, but now it was her time to move on from being 'Daddy's precious weapon' and on to bigger things. When the day of her graduation comes, she finds that she must shed her old life when General Shepherd comes to take her away and train her for war. Melody figures this to be nothing new and that she'll most likely end up dying any other way, but when she was placed in Shepherd's personal squad, she finds that all of this is false. Along with Sergeant Ronan Clarke, Lieutenant Shaun Blakely, Private Steven Parks, and Corporal Mallory Gestring, she fights behind the scenes of the first Modern Warfare story, beginning her own story as an unknown soldier under Shepherd's command.

**Sudden story inspiration: **Hero of War by Rise Against. It's an amazing song and just made me really want to write about the unknown story of how Melody rose quickly in the ranks and why she's so full of and so bitter in the beginning of Won't Back Down.

Okay, now on to the story! Hope you enjoy and please leave me a completely 100% honest review! Thanks for actually stopping by, also!

* * *

General Benjamin Johnston walked down the long, waxed floors of the hallways that he had once called his sanctuary. The walls were their usual light green color, showing the right emotion of every living soul in the establishment. Complete and utter depression and often the lust of somehow and someday leaving the cursed place and let it be a simple memory of the past that they wished they could erase from their minds. But, those dreams were simply that; dreams. The reality of the situation of each resident of the so-called academy was either the child was an orphan or unwanted or simply sent to be taught discipline and responsibility. Sometimes, that meant the hard way. Well, for some at least. Some had to endure harsh punishments for slacking off or simply running late for classes or any sort of tests. Benjamin thought these academic activities to be of great importance and found that any child was slacking off or insisting to be uncooperative surely to be punished and see the light of this situation. He usually had this problem most with one boy named Leon Childers. He was quite rebellious and thought the academy was Hell on Earth. Well, he most likely wasn't the only one.

They guessed that the boy had either been removed from the premises or simply ran away. He secretly wondered whatever happened to the young man and what had become of him. He sighed softly to himself as he passed a busy-looking Charlene Roberts as she tackled file work and also continued a conversation via Bluetooth. He shook his head with slight shame as he thought about how ridiculous the woman looked as she loudly spoke to the piece in her ear and rounded a corner that led to his office. She must've had something for him or one of the others since she was far too caught up in what she was doing to notice that they were two feet away just seconds ago. He quickly pulled away the thought as a new one approached his mind. Everything seemed so calm and tranquil when things were actually going to be completely different after today.

The familiar silence followed him as he strode about the hallway, passing door after door that held some kind of class. There were some that walked down the halls and would halt in their steps to give a salute to the retired General that he only acknowledged with a simple nod of his head and continued on his way. There was something much more important to him at the moment then pursuing his usual morning activities of checking each and every class to make sure things were running smoothly.

Lieutenant General Shepherd had made an early arrival to take the now eighteen year old Melody M. Johnston. She had received the needed training and healthy diagnostics to meet Shepherd's standards. Before, he would come any time he could to check on their secret weapon. Anytime he was there, he'd be so quick to fill her with anger and hatred that he knew would make her dangerous. She was the perfect solider in his eyes, but nothing special in anyone else's. They just thought of her as the spoiled brat who got her way in the snap of a finger.

Shepherd, always hungry to see her growing strengths and techniques, would always mention her past. Most likely her mother and saying something about her that would set her off since the slightest thing always light her fuse, so to speak. He knew the young woman was full of rage that was undoubtedly stored inside her from years and years of her trials and training. Though some of his own men thought it to be a bad idea that he tried to set the girl on the very urge of murder, no one stopped him. He was a General after all. They thought that he must've been doing this for benefit for the soldiers.

Of those that had known of this young woman joining his hand-picked squad, they hated the idea of it. The others that had already been picked and accepted were skilled and experienced with years of knowledge gained from participating on the battlefield. She was just a recent graduate who promised great training and skills. But, no matter how impressive her profile could have been, the others didn't like it because she had no experience with real war and battle. She was used to training and given a second chance to scrape off any rust that she had gained; it was the complete opposite on the field. The enemy wouldn't be caught dead giving her a second shot or a second more to live if they had been caught spotting her.

Benjamin scoffed thinking of it though it secretly bothered him to imagine Melody running along her squad mates; stumbling and forcing herself to be faster as the others passed her, focused solely on their target. Though some may offer her a hand up, he knew that she would be left if she was seen slacking off or looking around as if everything was just a dream. They hadn't any time to protect the private that acted as if the life was the dream.

Benjamin's thoughts were cut short when he saw his old friend, Lieutenant Thomas Scott. They had served together until they were forced to separate when he received his injury that put an early end to his military career. He was just as he had remembered him years before; ink black hair that was neatly combed back, sprinkled with newly grey hairs, vivid blue eyes that seemed like they could see through a brick wall. His facial features had changed some because he had noticed a small, light pink scar against his lower jaw-line, just an inch away from the corner of his mouth. He had also gained some facial hair stubble that made Benjamin guess that he had retired not too long ago.

He felt his thin lips stretch in a hearty grin as he further approached the man. Thomas returned his welcoming grin with a smile revealing spotless white, but slightly crooked teeth.

"Thomas! What are you doing here?" He said pleasantly shocked as he reached out to grab the hand outstretched to him. Thomas was one of few of Shepherd's trusted, right-hand men and he had last seen him when Melody was just fourteen when they had come to make arrangements regarding her future and their promise with the military.

He smiled at his old friend and embraced him with a small hug before pulling back and answering his question.

"Well, I assume you know that it's that day again. Taking in new recruits. I heard that it was finally your kid's time to take that long drive so I had asked Shepherd if I could tag along. I thought it would maybe give Melody an easier time seeing an old familiar face guide her along. And of course I had to see how this old dog was doing!" He said trying his best to explain his presence in a short story and smiled referring to his old friend once again.

Benjamin forced a smile when he then again thought about Melody permanently leaving the academy which he couldn't help but think for the last time. He had doubts of her returning, but he tried to keep that to himself.

"Well, I'm glad you could make it. I suppose it will be good for her to start off this experience with someone familiar, but she will undoubtedly end up meeting new people and mentors to help rear her up through her career," He said matter-of-factly as memories of his first few years came to mind once again.

They began to walk the rest of the way towards the back parking lot where he knew Shepherd must've been waiting for the two to come out, Melody in close range.

There was silence between them as they walked down the long, vacant hallway apart from the academy. The flooring had switched to a black and white tiling that greatly resembled a checker board and lightly-peeling white walls encased them as their shoes echoed around them and ricocheted back to their ears.

"Which reminds me, where is your daughter? I hope you don't think that I'm trying to barge in and snatch Melody away from you so quickly, it's just that Shepherd and I are on a tight schedule and it's urgent that we make it on time," He said finally breaking the ice between them as he cleared his throat, thoughtfully taking note that there seemed to be no sort of decoration on the walls as they continued slowly down the narrow hall.

Benjamin's mouth got dry as he thought about his daughter being absent on this day. He was at first angry with her being late since she knew perfectly well that this was the day, but then he had thought about how she must've been nervous and maybe even frightened that the day had come so quickly. He couldn't blame her; he had felt the same way ever since Melody was born. The fear of losing her so quickly.

He scolded himself as he knew Thomas was patiently waiting for his answer and still sat there staring ahead of them, sweat beading on his brow.

"You'll have to forgive me for not making sure she had come home at the right time. I had specifically told her to come straight home after her graduation ceremony and spare no time to see any of her classmates for that would just waste perfectly good time," He paused to sigh at her as he thought about the outcome of the order and continued, "She's always been so stubborn. I would say that she got it from her mother, but she had been rather calm and understanding and actually obedient," He said as he thought about his late wife, a smile stretching across his lips without his control.

Thomas looked over, catching the man's thoughtless grin at the mention of his wife. He arched an eyebrow simply as his own grin tugged at the corner of his lip as he thought about how he hadn't seen his old friend smile in such the longest time.

"Well, I certainly hope she makes it back soon. Shepherd wouldn't be so happy to drop all his time for her even if he is anxious to start her training," He said trying to move the topic of the conversation back to the matter at hand.

Benjamin shook his head slightly as if to shake away the memories and looked at his friend with an inner-questioning look and simply nodded, "Oh yes, definitely," He said trying to recollect what he had just said exactly, but just shoved the manner aside.

* * *

Zachary awkwardly bit at the corner of his lip as he tried to help his friend remove the ugly golden yellow graduation robe from her shoulders as she fidgeted around and wiggled to help the process of removing the robe easier and less awkward for her close friend.

His heart raced as he noticed that her shirt had caught onto some of the thread inside the robe and the tail began to lift as she began to simply toss it over her head. He blushed slightly when he saw the clasp in the back of her bra. He and Melody had been friends since they were little, but it was weird seeing her that way. He thought it like seeing his own sister with only half her shirt on. He shivered at the thought with a disgusted look.

Melody blushed when she felt a breeze tickle her bare back and she ignored the robe and immediately reached back to pull her shirt tail down to cover her back as she finally removed the robe from her. She took a quick look down to take a small note in her appearance. Though the others took a more serious note into the occasion and put on their best clothing, Melody just wore a simple purple T-shirt with white long-sleeves, her favorite pair of blue jeans that had been the victim of hers, Becca's, and even Zachary's boredom and was sketched with random doodles and sayings that had popped into their minds. She wore her matching pair of Converse that had been written and drawn on by multi-colored permanent markers.

She chuckled under her breath as she saw the familiar words written on her left shoe, courtesy of Becca: This person is owned by Becca Price. An arrow was angled upwards symbolizing to her. She sighed as she thought about her old friend who had moved because of Price's sudden "career" changes and lived in a small town in the U.K. Rachel, her mother and Price's wife, had told her that Becca was actually thinking about joining the Navy Seals once she reached the right age, but she hadn't heard any recent news of that matter.

Her thoughts were briefly changed when she heard Zachary speak beside her, placing his old, familiar head phones across his neck, music softly hammering against the speakers. She could tell that it was the song from an old movie they had used to watch every single Halloween; this is Halloween. She was honestly surprised to see that that was the first song that had popped into his mind about the event. She shrugged; he was always a pretty strange kid.

"Hey, Mel, did you ever tell Bec about that tattoo you got the other day?" He said remembering the day she got it and when he had spotted it when the robe caught her shirt and revealed it once again.

Melody grinned, "Naw, she'd have a complete heart attack if I told her that. You know how she is with tattoos," Melody said narrowing her eyes with an amused grin.

Zachary rolled his eyes slightly thinking of their old friend, "Yeah...Have you heard anything from her? I mean, she went like, completely under the radar. She sent me an email once saying that she's barely allowed on the computer and they took her phone away. I made a remark about how I was surprised that they took princess's toys away and haven't heard from her since," Zachary said remembering the girl's rant about how they, Price and Rachel, were being way too strict with her for not doing her usual chores for a couple of days and she was only allowed a thirty minute limit on either her phone or laptop once a day. He didn't think that would upset her since he and Melody always jokingly called her a princess before.

Melody chuckled and stepped back once to keep in step with Zachary as they exited the back alleyway they had been removing the gown from and were now walking along the sidewalk of an old bookstore in town.

"Who knows what's with her. You know how she can be sometimes. She'll probably simmer down in a day or so and be our favorite little princess once again," Melody said tucking her hands in her jean pockets and slowly walked with Zachary.

Her long brown hair blew in her face as cars whizzed by and Zachary looked as though something was disturbing him, but wouldn't say. She knew Zachary to always be like that; always keeping his thoughts inside whenever he thought he should. Although, whenever he thought he shouldn't say anything was usually the time he really should and this unnerved her. What was he keeping from her?

"Zach, you have that face again. What's wrong?" She asked looking up at him as they slowly made their way across the crosswalk on the vacant highway.

He was silent and hesitant for a moment, unsure of what he should say. He had kept it bundled up inside him since he heard of her news, but each day that grew closer and closer made him want to explode and the questions that circled his mind never ceased but grew louder.

"Are you going to die, Mells? I'm sorry if it doesn't sound like I have any confidence in you but, you're young and you're most likely to die out there. I don't want that to happen," Zachary finally said, halting in front of the stop sign as he looked straight down at her, looking into her eyes, trying not yell.

Melody was taken aback by his question and yes, she was a little offended that her closest friend doubted her survival, but she decided not to show it.

"I've trained for this since I was four, Zach, you know that. I'm capable of this. Yes, I'm going to receive even more training from General Shepherd or whoever he have train me, but I'm ready for this. Matter of fact, I want this," Melody said removing her hands from her pockets to hide them once again as she crossed her arms across her chest.

Zachary let out an aggravated growl which threw Melody off, he never growled unless he was furious, "Melody! You're eighteen! You don't even have to be doing this! Legally, you're an adult! You get to decide for yourself what you want to do after graduation! You said it yourself the other night that you had no choice when it came to joining the Army. Now you do and you're just blowing it away!" Zachary argued, unbelieving that this is what Melody seriously wanted right now.

Melody was partially mad at him now, "Zach! I have no choice! Even if I wanted to go to college or move out or whatever, I couldn't! I chose not even set my hopes up on that false future because Shepherd is probably at home waiting for me right now! You just can't ditch a General, Zach! I mean, it's like illegal or something!" Melody said now becoming frantic for an explanation to why she couldn't say no.

"What are you even talking about, Melody!" Zachary yelled back completely confused.

"Oh, I don't know! I don't fucking know right now!" Melody yelled back throwing her arms in the air and letting her hands land on her face, trying to rub away the stress she was feeling now.

There was a moment of silence between the two as they both tried to cool down once they saw some of the shoppers around town staring at them. They knew they shouldn't be fighting at a time like this, but it was also the perfect time to release anger and true thoughts. She was leaving for a long time anyway.

Zachary glanced around at those staring at them and they suddenly found the store in front of them much more interesting than the scene that Zachary and Melody were causing.

Melody felt like on the edge of tears as their awkward silence was suddenly interrupted by Zachary's sudden chuckle.

Melody looked past her fingers to see Zachary's child-like face return to normal as a wide smile was stretched across his lips. Just this simple sight made a smile of her own appear on her face. Within a moment's time, they were both laughing at themselves and their little argument hysterically.

"What are we even doing? We're arguing like little kids," Melody said as they continued walking, side hurting from laughing.

Zachary just continued smiling and softly chuckling as he answered her, "I don't even know anymore. Seems like the older we get, the more we change. In our case, just stranger," He joked as he glanced down at her face, smile stuck on his lips.

Zach's words struck a memory in her head and she snapped her fingers and immediately spun around to him, stopping him in the middle of the sidewalk, "Oh, hey! Do you still have that pocket knife your Grandpa gave you?" She asked arching her brows.

The smile faded away and his brow furrowed in curiosity and slight worry, "Yeah…Why do you want it?" He asked hesitantly as he placed a hand on his back pocket.

"You'll see. C'mon, it'd be weird if I did it out in the open," She said glancing around looking for a suitable spot to begin her task.

Zachary worried that she was planning something risky with his pocket knife like she always did. She always ended up causing some kind of trouble for him and herself. He scoffed to himself when he remembered Becca's constant scolding after she did the mischief.

She grabbed his wrist and pulled him behind a store and into the back corner of a partially vacant parking lot. An old gray Oldsmobile and a pile of shattered glass from beer bottles seemed to inhabit the empty lot. She made a motion to give him the pocket knife and he hesitantly took it from his pocket.

He quickly moved it from her reach when she swooped in to grab it, "You're going to cut yourself or something, right? I mean, I know you've been upset since Margaret was fired and Becca left, but still," He said worried about his friend's psychological condition.

Melody just arched a brow and rolled her eyes, "Really, Zach? You'd think I do that?" She inquired in a low tune, clearly finding it amusing that he actually thought she was going to do that.

"Well, like you said when we were younger, people change," He said defensively and shrugged his shoulders, unsure of how to get passed this awkward tension he had created. He was always good about that.

She waved off that moment and took the knife from him, "Well, I will be cutting, but not in the way you'd think," She said circling the knife around her fingers, giving him a wry smile as she then clutched onto the handle.

Zach's eyebrows lifted in curiosity as she took a strand on her long brown locks and pushed it gently against the recently sharpened knife. He then realized what she was doing once he saw her wavy lock curl up and float to the ground.

"Whoa, what are you doing?" He asked holding up a hand towards her hair.

"I'm just cutting my hair, Zach. I figured the other night that I'd end up having to wear my hair in that tight bun you usually see women in and you know how I personally just hate that hairstyle. Always gives me headaches, but anyway, I figured it just be easier if I didn't even have to worry about my hair. Also, I always wondered what it was like to have guy hair. Dad was always like 'It isn't lady-like or proper for a girl your age to chop your hair off like that' all that shit, so it was also a way to say I'm evolving into a new person. An older Melody, perhaps?" She said with an amused tone as she continued, carefully, cutting her long brown locks.

Zach just eyed her strangely, "I'll never understand you, Melman," He said with a tired sigh and looked around to see if anyone was watching.

Melody just stuck her tongue out at him playfully when the use of her old nickname came up in the conversation. She remembered the origin of that name; oh-so long ago, it seemed. It was when they first met when Melody turned five, a year after she first moved into the academy with her father. It was her first day of kindergarten and Zach was the first one to really approach her that day after snack time, messy brown spikes and wild green eyes so vibrant with life. They had to be quiet during story time when they really introduced themselves to each other and they whispered very softly to each other. For Zachary, it was just a simple 'Zach' and easy to hear, but Melody had been too quiet when introducing herself.

Zachary had mistaken her and thought she said her name was Melman instead of the soft-spoken Melody. Ever since then Zachary would call her Melman for the kick of it. As they grew older, a simple 'Mel' would soon replace Melman, but every now and then he would let that kid inside him resurface and playfully call her Melman.

They stood there for a long while as Melody continually ran the knife through her hair, making sure she didn't cut her finger in the process, but when she finally finished, she placed the knife in Zach's hand.

She immediately noticed the difference as she stepped away from him, running a hand through the invisible locks. She felt around her neck and felt the spiked edges from her unprofessional job, but as she looked in the glass window of the store, she frowned with approval.

"Not too bad, if I say so myself," She said lightly complimenting her work.

"Damn, Melman…Would it be weird if I said you look like me, but, you know, without the green eyes," He said admiring the automatic change in appearance.

"Actually, yeah, it is," She paused for a moment as Zach chuckled and they continued walking, "Well, I just can't wait to see Dad's face when he sees new me. I actually really like it. Very cool and comfortable! I should've graduated earlier," She said with an approving tone, continuing to run a hand down the parting, admiring the lack of hair.

Zachary rolled his eyes at her and tucked the knife carefully back in his pocket, "Yeah, well, you'll get your chance. We should be back there in like, five minutes," He said looking up at the old store sign that they had used as a symbol since they were younger to show that they were close to the academy.

"You ready for this?" Zach asked returning to a serious tone like had before, looking down at her with a concerned expression.

It took her a moment to answer. Nerves, fear, and excitement were knots in her stomach as they continued walking. She was glad to finally be rid of her father and finally have something of meaning in her life, but she was also worried about the people she was leaving behind. Margaret had been fired for lying about Melody sneaking out with Darren when she was fourteen and soon after that she married her fiancée'. Melody hadn't seen her in nearly four years. Becca, Price, and Rachel were all gone too so that meant no good-byes from her best friend and practically sister, from her father-figure, or from her mother-figure.

The only person she really cared about that was there with her was Zachary and she didn't want to let go of him. He was like a big brother to her and she had grown to love him like one. How would she cope with his absence? Maybe he was right about some things; she wasn't ready for battle yet. She knew that if she was immediately deployed for battle, she would surely die and never even get to speak to any of her friends or extended family again. Never get to tell them how she really felt about all of them.

Melody sighed and tried not to think of that, "I guess I don't have a choice whether I'm ready or not. I'm weapon to Dad and Shepherd, remember?" She said adding venom to her words when it came to Shepherd.

Zachary took that as a sign to cease that conversation immediately. He knew how she felt about that man and how she didn't trust him. He sighed as they continued walking silently. Now terrified of what the future hold them as they grew closer to the academy; SUV waiting for her in the parking lot.


	2. Chapter 2: Lonely Good-byes

"Well, it's about time you showed up!" Darren's voice boomed from the others as he stood at his father's side. Shepherd rolled his eyes at his son and continued to speak with Benjamin, trying to ignore the twenty-year old that insisted to act as if he was still a child.

Melody halted in her steps for a moment as she saw Darren's face. His usually buzzed dark brown hair was now shaggy and his blue eyes were just as horrid to her as the night at the party. Her gut churned with hatred as Zachary came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

She shook his hand off and continued walking. Darren insisted that he join them even though he knew he was completely uninvited, like always.

"I thought you decided to ditch or something? Oh, wouldn't that be funny? Seeing my dad send somebody after you? Oh! It'd be even more fun if you fought back and they had to bit the shit out of you. Definitely brings you back to the days when you were a fucking lunatic, huh Melody?" Darren mocked as he walked beside her, fixing to wrap an arm around her shoulder.

Zachary stepped in and pushed Darren away from her, "Leave her alone, Darren! She doesn't need your shit!" Zachary yelled.

Benjamin looked at Melody and Zachary angrily thinking they were embarrassing him in front of the General. He stepped out to stop their argument, but Shepherd placed a hand on his shoulder, forcing him back in place.

"They're not children anymore, Benjamin. I believe they can settle their own scores," Shepherd said as he continued to look out to the group of three.

Benjamin was nervous that Melody would end up doing something that would anger Darren or Shepherd, but he knew he had a point. She was eighteen now; she had to face her problems alone.

"Oh, I see you brought your little girlfriend along. Which reminds me, Zachary, is it true you got an erection in the boys' locker room?" Darren mocked pushing his shoulder.

Zachary's face was red and Melody took note that he looked like he was mentally planning an attack to rip his throat out. Before he could do that, Melody stepped in between them, looking mostly at Darren the whole time.

"Shut up and calm down! Both of you! This is not how I'm leaving! Zachary; ignore this asshole and go wait by my dad. Darren; you shut the hell up now and leave or I swear to God I will kill you!" She said pushing him away from her.

Darren glared at her but decided to leave as he saw his father's disapproving glare. That wasn't new to him though, he was always disapproving of something he did. Darren bumped her shoulder as he strode past. He was going to say something about her new haircut, but didn't.

"Fine. I had other plans anyway. I've been waiting to bang Brittney for months now. I was just waiting to see when my 'girlfriend' was going to get killed," Darren said turning back around, hoping to anger the girl even more than she already was.

Melody balled her fist and began to walk away. Oh, how she hated that boy! There were nights where she imagined someone coming in his home at night and just slitting his throat. It was usually her as this intruder, but it still made her sleep peacefully.

Melody walked towards the parking lot where Benjamin, Shepherd, Shepherd's right-hand man, and now Zachary were waiting. Zach was standing a foot behind and away from Benjamin, finding being alone with the men somewhat awkward.

Benjamin was surprised to fully see his daughter's face which brought a grin to Melody's face. At least someone had taken notice of her new change. She very well liked it this way; thought it to be comfortable. It'd most likely help during training also. She wouldn't have to worry about her long hair making her neck sweaty or always worrying it'd get dirty or caught in something or whatever her training days had to offer.

Shepherd turned to her and Benjamin bumped her shoulder, forcing her to salute the older General in front of them

Melody resisted the urge to roll her eyes and brought her hand to her temple. Shepherd raised an eyebrow at her, but shook it off later. He knew she was going to be hard to handle, but it wasn't like he hadn't had that kind of trouble in the past. Darren was just like that and still was. Shepherd was almost glad to be rid of the disrespectful and rude young man that he had to call his son.

"Well, I really hate to drag Melody off the second she gets back, but we really need to leave in order to arrive on time with the others. We might have have the most trouble with the man who will be Melody's superior after training," Shepherd said stepping back one step towards the SUV waiting for them.

Thomas Scott stood beside them, rubbing the back of his head and whistled a low tune. That made Melody more concern about her team then before. She took the liberty of proclaiming the question that was in hers, Benjamin's, and Zachary's mind.

"What do you mean, 'trouble'?" She asked stepping out to him, arms crossed.

Shepherd sighed, not wanting to explain the story for what felt like to him, the millionth time. "The leader of your squad, recently lost his former commander because some new recruit screwed up on his first time out with his squad. That kid's mistake took his commander's life and he completely hates the idea of anyone that is on the field without years and years of training-"

"So basically, her own squad leader's going to hate her and she's fucked?" Zachary asked, elbowing his way behind Benjamin and next to her.

Benjamin glared at the young man for interrupting Shepherd, but Melody replied before he could scold the boy.

"Oh...Yay!" Melody said sarcastically with a fake sympathetic smile.

Shepherd just grinned half-heartedly at the two and turned to Lieutenant Scott, ordering him to start up the vehicle.

Scott replied with a firm 'Yes, sir' and left the group. Benjamin was steps behind Melody and Zachary as she suddenly turned over towards him, knowing her time here was wearing paper thin and that she would be gone in minutes, possibly seconds.

Shepherd nodded his farewell to Benjamin and he took his seat in the vehicle. That left the three alone, but Melody chose to ignore Benjamin.

"Well, I guess that's it for me, Z," Melody said with a sigh, letting her folded arms drop to her sides, unsure of what she should say or do. She was never really in these situations before. She was used to seeing her brother/best friend everyday. How was she to say good-bye?

Zachary seemed to feel the same way as he tucked his hands into his pocket. Melody knew he always did this when he was nervous or scared. This made her heart sink into her stomach. She didn't want to see her best friend this way.

Without thinking, she suddenly threw her arms around his neck, battling to hold back her tears that threatened to weaken her and make her soft. Her throat was tight and burned so badly and every breath was a shaky sob that she was hiding.

Seeing this scene, Benjamin stepped back a foot, allowing the two to have their moment and so he wouldn't have to really see his daughter in the shape she was suddenly in.

Zachary wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close as if he loosened his hold on her for a second, she'd disappear and he'd never see her again. His mind kept going back to the first day her met her. That awkward, freckled face kid that sat in the back of the room. He smiled softly at the fond memory. How he wished he could go back to that day! Everything was so much simpler then and they didn't have to worry about anything besides who was going to get the best playground equipment first.

He remembered as they grew older, how Melody always tried to give him advice about how to make his crush like him. Oh how she was the absolute worst at that! She'd tell him to do or say something and it'd always end up with him either getting stomped in the foot or a slap in the face. Once even a knee to the groin. He remembered her asking how it went and he replied with a breathless "I'm going to die childless". The events of that day made him laugh sorrowfully now.

Benjamin cleared his throat seeing Shepherd's impatient expression, silently ordering the two to stop their embrace so he wouldn't have to be kept waiting any longer. Melody glared at the man as she thought of how Benjamin practically kissed Shepherd's ass all the time.

Zachary stepped back, waving a farewell and muttered a good-bye as he tried to recompose himself, walking off silently and hesitantly.

Melody just stared off after him, wishing he could come with her or she with him. That wasn't the good-bye she wanted. She wasn't asking for some over-dramatic, tear-jerking farewell, but she at least wanted to say the words! She turned to Benjamin, repressing the urge to yell and scream at him. Question what she did wrong to deserve all of this.

"Well, I took the liberty of taking your bags to the vehicle so you shouldn't worry about that," He started awkwardly, not knowing what to say to the girl. He wanted to scream and scold her for what she did to her hair without his permission. He absolutely hated it when she went behind his back, but he decided not to only knowing he didn't want to anger her. That wouldn't look good in front of Shepherd.

Melody rolled her eyes at him, "So excited to get rid of me, I see," She said folding her arms across her chest. She definitely wanted to be rid of him. He was the one who made Zachary leave just seconds ago.

Benjamin said nothing but stuck out his hand, "I guess this is good-bye, Melody," He said simply as if he was leaving some meeting or shaking hands with a business associate.

Melody just stared at the hand before she finally decided to shake it. Her father's hand was bigger than hers and warm. She could feel the marks he had gained from one of his stories. She could really remember which one it was, but she knew he had to do something that ended up with his palms being torn harshly.

"Yeah," Melody said, not knowing what to say. What were you supposed to say to the father that practically worked her to the bone since she was four? There wasn't supposed to be some tearful farewells, right?

He nodded to her as she turned, wanting to leave this awkward moment so desperately. She immediately met Shepherd's eyes and she stared down at the ground. He didn't like the look in them. They always scared her when she was younger, but now she didn't like the emotion behind them. She didn't know what it was, but it was highly uncomfortable.

Taking one last look at the academy, Melody entered the vehicle with a heavy heart. All those that she imagined to be there when she was left was gone. Becca, Rachel, and Price were far away and Margaret was most likely never returning to this place, and Zachary was shooed off. If she could find the courage to do so, she would've broke down in tears. She felt so alone. She hoped that it would go away soon.

Scott glanced at her in the rear-view mirror, hesitation on his face as if there was something he wanted to say to her, but kept it quiet because both Shepherd's presence and the look of anger and pain on the young woman's face.

He sighed and put the vehicle in reverse. This was definitely going to be a long and quiet ride as Melody put in her earbuds and listened to her music.

As she listened to the lyrics, she wished that she could just disappear from sight. Of course, she always found the most sad songs to listen to when she was battling to hide tears. She had the worst luck when it came to music. Well, that or she was too damn emotional. She was still speculating which it was when they began driving away from the academy.

* * *

_**First off, sorry it's so short. I was kind of blank on deciding what I wanted to go on in this scene. Well, enough to make it long and detailed, but also not too detailed, you know? I promise to at least try and make the next chapter longer and try to update in at least every story I'm working on since I'm out this week for Thanksgiving so that means no studying or homework for a while and I can actually think about something besides Biology and Math! That also gives me time to think about how I want my Black Ops Fanfiction to work out since BOII came out. But, I think you get the picture.**_

_**Anyway, thanks for reading and the next chapter, we will be introduced to one of our 'unknown soldiers' and then some training chapters with Shepherd. I wanted to put more working and training to earn her place with Shepherd's squad then what I did last time. Hopefully, this story will actually turn out good. I'm excited to work on it, and I hope you guys will enjoy it also.**_

_**Well, I guess I'll shut up and let you guys get back to your busy schedules! Thanks for reading, please review, and Happy Thanksgiving! :D**_


	3. Chapter 3: Some Wounds Don't Heal

Sergeant Ronan Clarke impatiently waited for General Shepherd, leaning back in his chair and ran a hand over his buzzed sandy hair. He was exhausted after previous nights of restless sleep. He couldn't remember the last time he actually slept longer than two hours. Ever since the death of his mentor, he's had nightmares. He was practically the only family he had left and now he was gone because some kid wouldn't learn the basics for begging a spot on the mission.

It made his stomach churn and his face grew hot with anger. Why did they even let that damn kid onto the battlefield? He clearly wasn't ready for that! Sure, he was one of the best soldiers logically, but he didn't have the smarts where it mattered. Ronan knew that it didn't matter how many books you read or how many tests you passed with excellent grades; the same red blood shed on the battlefield.

Ronan growled at himself angrily when he felt the appearance of a tear slide down his cheek. His face burned with embarrassment and quickly looked to see if no one had caught him. He looked up at the receptionist at the desk who peeked at him under her glasses, the light from the monitor beaming down on her pale skin. The bright light illuminated her crystal-like blue eyes that hesitantly, yet sympathetically stared down at him.

When their eyes met, she immediately casted her eyes back on the screen; embarrassed that the man had caught her staring. Ronan could tell that she had caught him in his tearing act, but said nothing. That seemed rare now-a-days, for people who caught him always crowded him and treated him like a little child who got their favorite toy taken away. He hated it with a passion.

The receptionist tried to curtain her face from him by the use of her long auburn hair; also hiding her reddening cheeks as she began to type again, hoping it looked like she was immediately back to her work. Ronan couldn't help but scoff at the woman.

He jumped softly when he suddenly felt something vibrating wildly in his back pocket then realized it was his cellphone. It was probably his cousin, Kingston. He rolled his eyes and ignored it. Ever since his mentor died he had been calling him what seemed like every five minutes. He knew he was just trying to help him, but why now? Why not before when he was practically kicked out of his own home by his judgmental father? Was it because now he had money? The thought made him angry again and he let out a breath. How much longer did he have to sit here?

He turned back over to the receptionist that he had shared an awkward moment with minutes before and asked, "Is it going to take any longer?" He didn't mean for it to come out harsh and rude, but it did. It was beyond his control now anyway.

She was taken aback slightly by the Australian's harsh voice and looked up at the clock, "No, it shouldn't take much longer. The meeting should be over in no longer than five minutes," She assured him, trying not to meet his thoughtful blue eyes.

Ronan just nodded but wished that he could meet this man he was getting his new orders from sooner. He had been dying to get back out on the field for months! He didn't like trying to live like a normal person. Now, it was impossible. He wasn't normal anymore. A normal human being wouldn't have nightmares about being out in war, watching their team murdered before their very eyes. No, he wasn't normal anymore.

He sighed and rested his head back against the wall behind him. How he wished he could just close his eyes and sleep! How hard could it possibly be? Just relax and close your eyes…Apparently, it wasn't so simple for him. His eyelids were so heavy with exhaustion, though. Maybe, just maybe, he can try and rest after he got his new orders. Wishful thinking…

His poor excuse of rest was interrupted when the receptionist called out the name of the man he was supposed to be meeting. His eyes immediately flew open and he looked around to see the man who General Shepherd had told him to meet to gain information on his new squad. He still couldn't believe he was given the honor of commanding his own squad. His heart leaped with a weird sense of joy at the thought of ordering his squad around…He couldn't understand why he thought it so wonderful.

"Ah, Sergeant Clarke! I was wondering when you were going to show up! So glad you could make it!" The middle-aged man greeted him once the young Sergeant was on his feet.

Ronan shook his firm hand and took note of his appearance. He seemed like the normal business man which made him wonder why he was part of this organization anyway. Well, he was just showing him files and documents; he guessed it wasn't some world-tragedy if a file was out of place.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister…" He greeted back, stretching out his words in order to learn the man's name.

"Oh, sorry, name's Anthony Butler, but you can just call me Tony. Let me be the first to say that I'm sorry about what happened to your mentor, Captain James Smith, if I'm right," He answered the young man's question and then gave him a sympathetic grin.

Ronan's warm smile faded softly at the mention of his name, but he tried to keep it hidden, "Thanks, Mr. Butler," He said simply trying to think of something to say before he created some big awkward moment between the two. He jokingly thought that he was too late.

"Hey, kid, like I said; call me Tony," Anthony joked warmly with a smile.

Ronan just grinned and followed the man as he turned around to the halls and motioned for him to follow. He could tell that he would learn to like this man, if given the chance. He seemed like a friendly, normal man, but Ronan felt as though this was going to be the only time he'll really even see the man. Either way, he was glad to have met him. It was definitely better the sour and bitter people he was forced to meet in the past.

They were both silent as they quickly walked down the long and surprisingly spacious hallway. It was rather vacant at the moment which gave him the impression that no one really came down this way. They probably thought it was useless since they had new files stored in computers now. Ronan enjoyed the "old-fashioned" way and found this to be much easier than searching for endless files on a machine.

He glanced up at the company medals and the portraits of several men and women. He guessed they were honorary people, but he couldn't tell where they had earned their place from. Military, perhaps? He wasn't sure. He could also spot Presidents of the past and other men that helped mold America along the way. He remembered looking some of them up when he was about twelve when he and his father moved to America after his mother died. It was definitely different to him since he was used to learning about Australia's upbringing, but it was interesting.

Anthony noticed him searching the walls and grinned, "Besides our Presidents, these are men and women who had made differences. Some are from America and some aren't. I tend to get far too into the whole 'making a better tomorrow' thing, but I thought it'd be something interesting to look into," He explained the unknown pictures to him.

Ronan really didn't know how to respond, so he just let out a fake-interested 'huh' and continued following the man. He didn't want to be rude, but he really didn't care about getting a history lesson at the moment. He just wanted to learn some of the names and the backgrounds of his new squad mates.

Anthony could tell this by the younger man's vacant expression and decided to keep quiet. It was useless to try and hold up a conversation with someone who refused to participate in one.

They finally made it to the room Ronan had been waiting so impatiently for. He could already see four documents laid out for him on a single metal table. Matching filing cabinets lined the walls and surrounded the table like water around an island. The room was well lit and, surprisingly, there were no pictures mounting the walls. He guessed Tony decided not to decorate the room more if no one would really be in it. He honestly couldn't blame him. Two chairs sat opposite of each other and Ronan took the closest once given permission by Tony.

"I think you'll find your new crew most interesting. They've all been through their share of tragedy so you might have something to converse about. You may not find this necessary, but I always thought that those who get close together end up fighting the best. Confusing, I know, but maybe one day you'll understand my little theory," Anthony said as Ronan grabbed the nearest tan-yellow document in front of him and began reading, partially ignoring Tony's words.

He was met with the face of blonde-haired woman. She looked young, maybe in her early twenties. He could see that her name was Mallory Gestring. She was a Corporal from the SEALs. She was about twenty-two and born to Tiffany and Koby Gestring. She was the sister to a twin, but the baby had died a month after it was born and their mother during child-birth. She was raised by her father and grew up in his home town in Arizona. When she turned eighteen, she had joined the army and was recruited to the SEALs. She had been serving for four years and earned the title Corporal just recently.

Ronan was pleased with this; he knew he would've gone insane if she was just some kid dragged out of high school. He couldn't understand why he was so interested in this Mallory girl. She seemed skilled and strong. Something he desperately wanted ever since he heard he was given the honor of instructing his own squad. He wanted the best, as anyone would.

He looked up when he heard Tony's voice in front of him, unable to keep it in anymore, "I heard that she was related to one of the others. It may just be a rumor, but I thought it'd be interesting. Also, that girl there, Mallory, she's a tough little thing. Kind of surprising, too. You meet her and she seems like that girl who goes to the mall everyday and can't stand dirt, but you get her out there and she's just like one of the guys. I like that one," Tony said with appraisal. He seemed to be more interested in his squad than he was.

Ronan just scoffed and barely acknowledged his trivial facts and picked up the next document in front of him. He wanted to read more of hers, but he wanted to basically know everyone's military background.

He flipped open the page slowly and was met with the face of a shaggy-haired brunette with dark brown eyes. His name was Shaun Blakely: Lieutenant. He was a British man with a wife and a newborn boy.

'Well, that's new,' He thought sarcastically at the basic information.

He had previously been a part of the S.A.S. Before being recruited by General Shepherd to join his special squadron. There wasn't much on his information which surprised him. He was used to seeing a full list of accomplishments and background, but there was only where he was born and raised and some of the achievements that gained him the titles in his life.

He just scoffed and grabbed the next document, opening it hesitantly for he wasn't sure what was really there for him to read after reading Lieutenant Blakely's document. He wished there had been more, but he figured that he shouldn't really be expecting some "ultra" soldiers.

The next was a man named Private First Class Steven Parks. He looked rather young, maybe in his early twenties; most likely, no older than twenty-four. He had short bronze hair and blue eyes and was built rather average. He had been trained under the regular boot camps and bases around his area and participated with both the Marines and the Seals. One of the best on his squad, but lacked one thing from really leading: He never spoke out against anything. Reports would say that he would speak loud enough for you to hear, but never really seemed like he made decisions. He just did whatever his leader commanded. That should be good news for him, he supposed.

He had a sister and a young brother back home, but it didn't say much about his parents. It said there was a sibling-adoption when he was about seven, but there was nothing saying what lead to it. Ronan guessed that there was a tough situation with his biological parents that the children just couldn't live there or they were dead. He couldn't help but think of how much the death of a parent really turned everything around.

With him, he had lived with his parents in a small town in Australia, but after his mother was diagnosed with cancer they moved around, what seemed like to him at his young age, every month. He remembered his mother and father sometimes arguing about her health and how they were going to afford the bills and how they were always moving around. His mother constantly worried about Ronan and how all of this was affecting him since all of that had started when he was about six years old.

After she finally lost her battle, his father said that he had an old friend in Arizona that was looking for some extra hands at his factory. He had said he would need the work to make sure he could get their own house and food, but as Ronan grew older, he could see that that was just his father's excuse to say that he didn't want to be in Australia anymore. Too many sad and painful memories for the man. They had been everywhere when they were younger because they loved to travel before they married and had Ronan.

Ronan decided to skip over to the last document, getting far too into the memories of his mother and wanting something to go through his mind. He could tell that this was the last one. He was hesitant, yet excited about this one. He hoped that this one would give him some encouragement instead of the previous ones. They seemed like skillful soldiers, but he had honestly expected more since hearing General's words.

He was surprised when he saw the face of the young woman when he opened the folder. She looked relatively young and had long, brown hair and matching dark brown eyes. He read over that she weighed exactly one hundred and twenty pounds and was five-foot-five.

'Well this is certainly promising,' He thought sarcastically feeling nervous about this girl already.

Her name was Melody Johnston. She was the daughter of a retired General named Benjamin Johnston and a woman named Melanie Johnston and by the looks of it she was deceased. She had a younger sister who had been taken in by an old friend of their mother's. Apparently, she had the knowledge of war and battle tactics, being raised by her father in some discipline academy for unruly kids. He figured it was some boot camp that you threatened to send your kid to if they would take out the garbage or wash the dishes like you told them to.

She had been under the General's thumb for the longest time and had been under Shepherd's eye since she was fourteen. He couldn't help but wonder if there was anything normal this girl actually did besides being thrown in obstacle courses and being yelled at twenty-four-seven.

He had been considering her alright until he came across her military background, which was absolutely nothing. She was eighteen and a recent graduate who hadn't even enlisted properly. She was scheduled to be taken under Shepherd's care and trained even more to suit her new squad, but she could have been with Shepherd her whole life but that wouldn't have mattered to him.

The fact that she hadn't seen real war angered him. He didn't want this immature kid on his squad. He just knew that'd be the death of him and the others. He refused to read more and looked up at Anthony.

"Where the hell is Shepherd now?" He demanded through gritted teeth.

Anthony was taken aback at the younger man's harsh words, but decided to answer him quickly then make him wait, "The last I heard he was taking that Melody girl back to his base for training before she was recruited with you and the others," He said trying to remember all he had overheard of this strange task force.

"Dammit," He muttered under his breath, slamming his fist on his knee.

He then stood up from his chair, making Anthony jump as he made his way towards the door.

"Wait! Sergeant Clarke! Where are you going?" He called, stumbling over his feet as he tried to chase him out the door and into the hallway.

Ronan was silent at first but answered the man, glaring forward at the door they had entered minutes ago.

"Contacting Shepherd. I refuse that this damn kid is put under my squad. She hasn't had any experience or knowledge of what it's like on a real battlefield. She'll be dead in seconds," He said quickly stomping through the hallway, long legs making swift strides along the carpet underneath him.

Anthony furrowed his brow at the man, "I'm afraid that won't be possible. He's in a classified area. Only those with his codes are able to contact him and he's given those codes to few that he supposes will need them most. One of them not being our building," Anthony quickly explained, grabbing the man's arm and forcing him to look at him, hoping to calm him.

Ronan could his anger just boil even more in the pit of his stomach, but tried to hold it back. The last thing he wanted to be was some tantrum-throwing kid who didn't get his way. He was already known as so many other things, this he wouldn't have.

"Fine, but you be damn sure I'm not holding back when I see him and the kid. This is absolute bullshit and he knows it. The last thing I need is some dumb kid thinking this to be some kind of field trip and end up killing us all!" He said rather loudly, adding venom to his words as he suddenly dashed around and stormed out the hallway, quickly escaping the building.

Anthony remained there, letting out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Sweat was beading at his brow and he rubbed his temples.

"General, what have you gotten me into?" He muttered to himself, suddenly desiring a visit to the nearest bar.

* * *

**Yeah, sorry it took so long to actually get this chapter up here. I know I had promised to update during my Thanksgiving break, but my dad had other plans. We were pulling up some of our carpets and putting down new flooring so that occupied us for a long while. I was also sick that week so all that saw dust was just wonderful for my coughing/chest cold!**

**Then, the week after that...I don't know. Guess I just got really lazy and didn't want to write. I've been getting really obsessed with the show, game, and comic The Walking Dead, so my mind's been elsewhere besides the Call of Duty world, but I'm still loyal to it! I could never stray from it. **

**So, earlier today I was like 'Holy crap! It's almost been two weeks since I said I would update!' So, I forced my lazy ass to sit down and write or else I'd just be a mean fanfiction author. Hopefully, this turned out well. I'm honestly proud of it and thought it really met with what had been in my mind for weeks and I hoped you guys enjoyed Ronan's chapter debut. If not, then...Well, I don't know. Sorry? I guess?**

**Anyway, I'll quit bothering you and let you get on with your daily plans. Thanks for reading and please stick around and don't be afraid of the review section. It can be your best friend... :D**


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